Tutorials

Create a vintage look using Rgrain and After Effects CS5 / CS6.

This tutorial demonstrates how to use Rgrain's Super 8mm "Nostalgia" film grain plate with After Effects to create a vintage look. The technique described works the same way with all Rgrain plates to create various film looks.

Workflow for finishing 8bit HDSLR footage & applying film grain.

This tutorial demonstrates how to cleanup 8bit DSLR footage, render to a 10Bit codec for more freedom during color grading and how to apply film grain. This workflow uses After Effects, Neat Video, Synthetic Aperture Color Finess, Colorista II and ProRes. You can adapt the workflow using your own tools and codecs, this technique is the one we used for all our examples.

Applying film grain on top of ISO noise and compression macro blocking will only make your footage dirtier.* Use this workflow or something similar to cleanup your footage before applying any film grain.

*If you are using the latest DSLRs like the Canon 5D MKIII or the new Nikons their encoders are a bit better than the older models and require less cleaning. Under-exposing any DSLRs will result in compression noise.

Using Rgrain with Premiere Pro CS5 / CS6

This tutorial demonstrates how to use Rgrain's film grain plates with Premiere Pro CS5. This works with prior versions of Premiere Pro but might not be real-time without the Mercury Playback Engine. Using Rgrain's 35mm 500T plate at 45% of opacity creates a very organic image and removes the digital "plastic" look. Subtle but very effective.

Using Rgrain with Final Cut Pro X (Works with FCP 7)

This tutorial demonstrates how to add film grain using Rgrain and Final Cut Pro X. To use with FCP7 place the film grain plate on a track on top of your footage and right-click the clip. Select "Composite Mode / Overlay".

FCP 7 USERS: The opacity method does not work properly with FCP7. Use a "Brightness and Contrast effect on the film grain plate to lower or increase the grain effect.

Useful Tips When Using Rgrain Plates

Directions for using Rgrain are very straightforward and function the same across all applications. To add film grain, place a film grain plate on a new track or layer on top of your footage and set the plate’s “Blending” mode to “Overlay.” Adjust the opacity of the film grain plate until you achieve the desired look.

Get a large, dedicated hard disk for your video files for real-time editing of HD files.

We recommend setting the film grain opacity between 15% and 45%, depending on the plate used. Of course there are no rules, so be creative.

Film grain should be applied as the last step in the editing process. The recommended workflow is as follows: Editing > Footage Cleanup > Color Correction and Or Grading > Rgrain

Slightly blurring your footage when using the 8mm Nostalgia and 16mm Old Stock will help blend the thicker grain into your footage.